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A delicious everyday white wine from veteran California vintner Bruce Neyers, the fresh and juicy 92 pt. 2022 Neyers 304 Chardonnay offers crisp, aromatic stone fruit and citrus with bright acidity on a mouthwatering mineral finish, an outstanding value for fans of unoaked California Chardonnay and anyone seeking an easy drinking, food-friendly white to stock the cooler at a bargain price.
Founded in 1992 by Bruce and Barbara Neyers just off the Silverado Trail, Neyers Vineyards crafts its classically styled Chardonnay with minimal intervention winemaking inspired by Bruce’s experience as national sales manager for Berkley-based importer Kermit Lynch, his 25-year tenure earning him the praise as “one of America’s greatest wine men” from Lynch upon his retirement in 2017. Initially hiring legendary Napa winemaker Ehren Jordan to oversee the construction of a new winery and craft the first Neyers wines, Bruce was inspired by his experience with Chablis producers to create the Neyers 304 Chardonnay cuvee without the use of oak, the name “304” an insider reference to the grade of stainless steel used in the winery’s aging tanks. Sourced from the family-owned Paul Larson Vineyard in Carneros, the Chardonnay vines are planted in a rocky outcropping that yields smaller, more concentrated clusters and enhances minerality, while the cooling maritime influence of San Pablo Bay preserves the grapes’ freshness and acidity. Produced from a low-yielding Sonoma vintage marked by “elegance, purity, and wonderful definition” according to Jeb Dunnuck’s Audrey Frick, longtime winemaker Tadeo Borchardt fermented the grapes with native yeasts before aging the crisp and refreshing 2022 Neyers 304 Chardonnay in stainless steel for four months on the lees, yielding fresh, bright fruit with a subtle, creamy texture and well-balanced acidity on a deliciously vibrant finish.
Among the best values in unoaked California Chardonnay, the impressive 92 pt. 2022 Neyers 304 Chardonnay remains lesser known among the region’s high-profile producers while overdelivering value, a top-scoring, ready to enjoy Chardonnay affordably priced for stocking up by the case. |